Fountain Valley School (FVS) proudly announces that journalist Ben Ryder Howe will deliver the keynote address at its 95th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 24, 2025, beginning at 10 a.m. on the School’s graduation lawn (6155 Fountain Valley School Rd., Colorado Springs, CO 80911). 

Ben, a graduate of the Fountain Valley School Class of 1989 and current president of the FVS Alumni Association, is a regular contributor to The New York Times and New York, having produced widely read articles on topics ranging from environmental issues and the luxury economy to disruptive technology.

After graduating from the University of Chicago, where he edited the student literary magazine and wrote for the student newspaper, Ben launched his writing career at The Paris Review. There he edited prize-winning stories and essays as well as the celebrated interview series, Writers at Work, before becoming a senior editor at Town & Country and Departures magazines. 

As a freelance journalist, Ben has reported worldwide for publications such as The Atlantic Monthly and Outside. His travel writing, in particular, has earned him recognition in the Best American Travel Writing anthology.

In addition to reporting, Ben has written a memoir, “My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store," which became a New York Times bestseller and one of Amazon’s “Top 100 Books of 2011.” His latest project involves an expansion of his reporting on a deadly car crash outside Albany, N.Y.  

Fountain Valley School looks forward to welcoming Ben back to campus and to the insight, humor, and inspiration he will share with the graduating Class of 2025.

Read Ben's Work